Re: 19 days post op, when do you think I can eat again?

[Guest guest]

Yes, ask your surgeon. There aren't really any questions you can't ask

him/her. I usually had a list each visit (the list gradually got

shorter). Do follow his/her advice about what and when to progress

with eating. It would be a shame to jeopardize your recovery over a

craving that doesn't last. You'll have plenty of time to indulge

yourself once your jaws are healed properly.

> Hi all! I had my surgery (Lefort 1, lower jaw recessed) on 9/15. I

> see the surgeon today, is it reasonable to ask if I can start

chewing

> again? I'm really tired of mashed potatoes and yogurt!

[Guest guest]

Yes, I definately don't plan on eating until I get the go-ahead from

my surgeon. I guess what I really want to know is what others'

experiences were. How long before you all could eat again?

> > Hi all! I had my surgery (Lefort 1, lower jaw recessed) on

9/15. I

> > see the surgeon today, is it reasonable to ask if I can start

> chewing

> > again? I'm really tired of mashed potatoes and yogurt!

[Guest guest]

Yes, I definately don't plan on eating until I get the go-ahead from

my surgeon. I guess what I really want to know is what others'

experiences were. How long before you all could eat again?

> > Hi all! I had my surgery (Lefort 1, lower jaw recessed) on

9/15. I

> > see the surgeon today, is it reasonable to ask if I can start

> chewing

> > again? I'm really tired of mashed potatoes and yogurt!

[Guest guest]

Well, I was on a liquid diet for a week (also no dairy, which was a

recommendation by another member here, since it can increase mucuous

production).

After the first week, I was allowed soft no-chew, like soft

scrambled eggs, whizzed up corned beef (use liquids and butter or it

gets dry), whizzed up chicken (it was like concrete slurry the first

night, but it firmed up into a pate overnight in the fridge), etc.

Lots of smoothies (added protein powder) and ice cream. You can also

slightly whiz up macaroni & beef - it's small enough that you don't

have to chew it, and it slides down easily.

After another week, I was able to do (still soft no-chew) fish &

chips, by peeling back the batter, squishing the fish/chips down

with a fork, and just mushing the fish (and the chips) against my

palate for flavour. I did get a lot down in between my teeth and

cheeks, and it took forever to get through the meal (lots of napkins

and ketchup, malt vinegar and tartar sauce), but it was really good

and quite flavourful. I also re-learned how to drink from a glass at

this point (pub glass, Irish ale), having used a sippy cup up until

that point.

I really, really loved mushy vegetables - turnip (rutabaga), squash,

sweet potato, mashed potato, carrots, cauliflower, anything like

that. You can experiment with what you put on top of the potatoes.

Nowadays, I am a vegetarian, so no more fish, fowl or meat in my

diet, but I still love my mushy vegetables!

Eventually, my surgeon said I could eat anything I thought I could

manage. What I could manage was different that what I thought I

could manage! But week by week, I tried to add things into my diet -

if I couldn't manage it the week before, I tried it again a week

later. I found I didn't have much biting strength for awhile, hence

the mushy veggies.

Hope that helps,

> > > Hi all! I had my surgery (Lefort 1, lower jaw recessed) on

> 9/15. I

> > > see the surgeon today, is it reasonable to ask if I can start

> > chewing

> > > again? I'm really tired of mashed potatoes and yogurt!

[Guest guest]

I am 3 weeks post op and had an appt with my doctor. I am allowed to

chew on soft foods, like pasta, but nothing hard. it takes 4 weeks

for the bone to fuse and they make it 6 weeks before you can start

some sort of normal diet just to be safe.

I chew on foods like egg ommelets were the chewing really is not

necessary, but it gets you use to the action of chewing again, as I

don't know about anyone else out there, but I am haing difficulty

trying to chew anything, I prefer to swollow without chewing at this

stage.

Take care

> > > Hi all! I had my surgery (Lefort 1, lower jaw recessed) on

> 9/15. I

> > > see the surgeon today, is it reasonable to ask if I can start

> > chewing

> > > again? I'm really tired of mashed potatoes and yogurt!